


Barking Up the Right Tree

by TheTacticianAlchemist



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Dogs, First Dates, First Meetings, I'm sorry there's a sad story about a dog in here but the dog ends up happy so don't worry, M/M, Making Out, volunteering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28677582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTacticianAlchemist/pseuds/TheTacticianAlchemist
Summary: When he takes his cute little Pomeranian to the dog park, Shingo sets his sights on Shun.[Late, but Merry Christmas to Aero_Erin!}
Relationships: Kurosaki Shun/Sawatari Shingo, Sakaki Yuya/Yuto
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Barking Up the Right Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aero_Erin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aero_Erin/gifts).



Ms. Flufferton III's tiny little tongue sticks out of her mouth as she pants, looking up with eager parts triumph and eagerness as she prances on her tiny paws. The Pomeranian's fluffy, curly tail wiggles as she dances back and forth, as if acting cute will get her bonus points. Like she needs bonus points when she's already so precious, Shingo thinks.

He grins as he picks up her ball. "Okay, Missy, you ready?" he asks, and she does the cutest little jump that has Shingo nearly swooning. Even after having her for several years, she's just so, _so_ cute.

"Go get it!" he says, tossing the ball. She darts after it, eyes wild. She picks up the ball and rushes back, dancing in another circle before dropping the ball at Shingo's feet.

"Good girl!" He kneels down to give her body some good scratches, and she flops down and rolls over to expose her tummy.

A pair of pink shoes enters his field of vision, and he looks up to see Yuzu and her girlfriend come up, their golden retriever obediently staying at Serena's heel. "Hey, Shingo," Yuzu says with a little wave, taking out a water bottle while Serena gets the dog bowl from her backpack. "Does Ms. Flufferton need some water too?"

"I think she'd appreciate that, thank you," Shingo says, running a hand through his bangs. "She does quite like your company."

Serena rolls her eyes, but puts down the bowl so Yuzu can fill it with water. Opus laps at the water, and Ms. Flufferton quickly joins her.

Yuzu stands up straight, wiping the sweat from her jog off her brow. Then, she frowns quizzically. "Hey, it's that guy from yesterday, Serena."

Serena, kneeling to scratch Opus, looks over across the dog park to where a tall form is jogging, a German shepherd at his side. "He was here the day before that, too."

"Oh? Someone new?" Shingo looks over eagerly, although from this distance it's hard to make out the man's details except for his navy-and-cyan hair. "Think he just moved here?" He makes it a habit to know who lives in the area, but he's never seen this man before.

From this distance, he seems pretty hot, but... well, Shingo's going to need more evidence than that.

He grabs Ms. Flufferton's leash and stands. "Hmm, it looks like he's coming this way. I wanna check him out."

Serena rolls her eyes while Yuzu giggles, but Shingo ignores them. "Come on, Fluff-butts," he coos, putting the leash on her.

As Shingo walks over, he sees the man slow to a stop to stretch first his arms, and then his legs, and _god_ , such an attractive man shouldn’t exist. Well, no one can be more attractive than Shingo is, but perhaps this guy is a close second. He can live with that.

The German shepherd at the man’s side pants, its tongue lolling out. Its ears perk curiously as Mrs. Flufferton approaches, tipping its head before leaning out to sniff at her. The man takes a swig of water from a bottle, then notices what’s happening and turns—revealing piercing yellow eyes and a gorgeous face, as if chiseled from marble.

Shingo stops short, absolutely taken aback by just _how_ attracted he is to the man in an instant. Someone like this shouldn’t be legal. He should have his father make a city law about this.

The man frowns—not unfriendly, but still far from warm. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, you just have a beautiful bod—dog,” Shingo blurts. “A beautiful dog—is it a German shepherd?”

“Yeah, he is.” The man relaxes, a bit of a smile crossing his lips as he looks down at the two dogs sniffing at each other’s snouts. “His name’s Raptor.”

“Raptor? Very… intimidating,” Shingo says, and this time a slight chuckle comes out of the man as he shakes his head.

“Raptor’s well-trained. He wouldn’t hurt anyone unless something bad was going on,” he explains. “Anyway, can I help you with anything?”

“Oh, no, I just thought I’d come say hello.” Shingo flashes a brilliant smile and runs his fingers through his bangs before holding out a hand. “Sawatari Shingo, pleased to meet you. Mayor Sawatari is my father, so I like to get to know the people around here. You seem new, though.”

“Uh, yeah, I am.” The man seems uncertain for a moment, but takes Shingo’s offered hand to shake, warm and firm. “Name’s Kurosaki Shun. I just moved here from Heartland.”

Shingo can’t help but think that _Sawatari Shun_ would be a really nice name. “From Heartland? What brings you here?”

Shun shrugs and busies himself with scratching behind Raptor’s ears. “Just work.”

Shingo can smell a story there, but he decides not to push. “Well, welcome to Maiami!” he says with a flourish. “If there’s anything you need, don’t be afraid to ask! Mrs. Flufferton and I are often here at the park if you need to find us.” With another flourish, he produces a business card and holds it out between his fingers.

Shun lifts an eyebrow and takes the card, putting it in a back pocket. “Mrs. Flufferton?”

“The third!” Shingo amends importantly. “Her grandmother was my mother’s dog.”

That earns a bit of a chuckle from Shun. “The third, of course.” He shakes his head. “I should have known.”

Shingo just grins. “That’s all right, I can forgive you for this time. You’re new, after all.”

Shun pauses, then shakes his head again. “Well, thanks. Nice to meet you, but I’ve got to get going.”

“No problem,” Shingo says, waving his fingers as Shun heads off with Raptor. “Enjoy yourself here! You know where to find me if you need anything!”

Shun just waves a hand, starting up a jog, and Shingo can’t help his sigh.

()()()

Shingo sips from his hot coffee cup as he throws the ball for Mrs. Flufferton again. Her little tongue lolls, and she dashes back with the ball to Yuya. He laughs and takes a turn throwing it for her, a bit farther this time.

“She’s such a good dog,” Yuya says. “I can’t wait ‘til I can afford a pet by myself. I think I’ll have to go with a cat first though; my apartment’s too small….”

Shingo shrugs exaggeratedly. They’re sitting on the grass, the crisp fall air giving them both a bit of pink in their cheeks despite the sunshine. “Of course the missus is a good dog. She’s basically royalty.”

Yuya hides the roll of his eyes, but then he pauses, his gaze training on something in the far distance. His mouth drops open. “Wow…”

Shingo frowns. “What are you…?” He looks toward where Yuya’s gazing, and his eyes widen at the sight of Kurosaki Shun walking his dog, a purple-haired man smiling and walking beside him.

Shingo gasps lightly, his heart fluttering at the sight. He hasn’t seen Shun in a while, not up close at least. “Yeah… He’s amazing, isn’t he?”

Then, he starts. “Yuya—Yuya, you _can’t_ have him! I’ve got dibs!”

“Dibs?” Yuya shoots a look at him. “You can’t call dibs on _people_ , Shingo.” He turns back and gets that dreamy look again. “That shorter one is so cute….”

Shingo blinks. “You think the _shorter_ one is cute?” He’s incredulous. “But Shun is—ah, you know what, never mind—have the short one.”

Yuya turns to him immediately. “Wait, you know the other guy?”

“I’ve met him.” He puffs out his chest. “I make it a point to know everyone in the city.” At least the who’s-who; he isn’t exactly interested in that spiky-haired sidekick or whatever.

“Shingo.” Yuya clutches his wrist. “You have to introduce me. Please.”

Shingo’s eyebrows go up, but then he snickers. “All right, all right, okay,” he says with a flourish. “I can play Cupid if you’d like.”

He clips Mrs. Flufferton III’s leash on. “C’mon, girl. C’mon, Yuya,” he says, standing and brandishing his coffee cup like it’s some kind of fashionable weapon. “We’re off to pick up men.”

Yuya goes absolutely pink, although he jumps to his feet and hurries after Shingo as he strides across the park. “Shingo, you can’t just—” Yuya starts, but he shuts right up when that spiky-haired man’s head turns his way. Shingo can see the way the man’s pupils dilate even from here, and it almost makes him want to gag.

Never mind the fact that _he_ was just as instantly attracted to Shun. That fact never crosses his mind.

The man stops first, and then Shun stops with a frown of confusion. He looks up, eyebrows raising at the sight of Shingo, and Shingo grins and gives him a wave.

“Hi,” he says, putting on his best smile. “Long time no see.”

The spiky-haired man is still staring at Yuya, but then suddenly his cheeks go pink and he turns to his friend. “Shun, um, do you know these people?”

“Ah, yeah. This is Shingo,” Shun says, and Shingo finds that he loves the way it comes off his lips.

“Oh, so this is—” The man stops suddenly, then rubs the back of his neck. Shingo looks expectantly to him, hoping he’ll elaborate, but before he can continue, Shun waves a hand and says, “This is my best friend, Yuto.”

“Yuto,” Yuya repeats, like he’s testing out the name on his lips, and Yuto goes beet red. Yuya flushes.

“Oh, this is my good friend, Yuya,” Shingo introduces with a flourish. “Well, I suppose you could call him my best friend. He’s not that bad.”

Yuya side-eyes him. “Is that a compliment or not?”

Yuto shakes his head. “Yuya’s a good person, surely,” he says with such conviction that it honestly makes Shingo want to barf, but he holds it back with the realization that he’ll be able to give a _great_ best man speech at their wedding about how he introduced them.

Yuya goes bright red. “Ah, well, um—” He laughs nervously. “Thanks?”

Yuto’s cheeks turn pink. “Oh, um, well—” He hesitates. “You’re welcome?”

Now Shingo _really_ wants to barf, but he manages not to and instead claps Yuya’s shoulder. “Yuto, do you live here in Maiami?” he asks.

Yuto shakes his head. “No, I live in Heartland. I’m here visiting Shun for a few days.”

“Oh.” Yuya deflates. “Then—"

“Then we have to show you around!” Shingo says immediately. “Are you both free tonight? We can all see the sights. My chauffer will take us.”

Shun’s eyes widen. “Chauffer?”

Yuto shakes his head. “No, you don’t have to—”

“I insist!” Shingo says, waving a hand. “You can bring Raptor, too. I know a great restaurant that’s pet-friendly. My treat. We’ll all go.”

Shun tips his head. “You rem—?” He stops, then shakes his head.

Before Shingo can ask what he means, Yuya says, “Would you… like to come?”

“Yes, of course,” Yuto blurts, and then looks hurriedly to Shun. “Um, sorry, if we’re free…”

Shun gives him a look, and then his gaze flashes to Shingo for a split second before he shrugs. “We’re free.”

Shingo beams—that split-second eye contact is making him ecstatic as well. “Good, good!” He pulls out his phone and he’s about to hit a speed dial when Shun reaches out to put a hand on his wrist. Shingo freezes, Shun’s touch feeling like a spark on his skin, and an undignified “Hah?” leaves his lips.

Somehow, that gets an almost imperceptible smile to curl at the corner of Shun’s mouth. “Will you at least let us go get ready?” he asks, indicating his and Yuto’s somewhat sweat-stained clothes. “We weren’t exactly expecting to go _out_ out.”

Yuto blushes, as if realizing the state he’s in. “Yeah. We went for a run.”

Shingo, for one, doesn’t mind a _bit_ how the perspiration clings to Shun’s neck, but he tries to play it off coolly and shrugs. “Sure, sure. Take your time—just let us know when you’re ready, give us an address to come pick you up at.” But then he can’t help but smile and add, “But really, don’t forget Raptor.”

This time, Shun’s smile is much more apparent. “I won’t.”

Yuya suddenly startles. “Oh, wait, do you have our numbers?” Before waiting for a response, he turns to Yuto and gives a sweet, somewhat shy smile. “Yuto, can I see your phone?”

“U-um, sure.” Looking absolutely dazed, Yuto unlocks his phone and hands it over.

Yuya quickly types away on it before handing it back, his cheeks pink. “Here. Just send a text or whatever. Whenever.”

Yuto flushes and takes the phone back like it’s some priceless treasure now. Shingo has to try really hard not to roll his eyes, and he turns to Shun, smiling. “You still have my card?”

“I do,” Shun says, and it’s music to his ears. “We’ll get in touch with you guys later.”

Shingo beams. “All right, then. Let’s get going, Yuya. We might as well get ready, too,” he says. He gives a gentle tug on Mrs. Flufferton III’s leash; she and Raptor have been sniffing at each other. “Come on, Fluffykins; we’ll see them again soon.”

Yuya gives a little wave. “See you later, Yuto. You too, Shun,” he adds hurriedly, almost as an afterthought as he walks backward to go with Shingo.

“Bye, Yuya,” Yuto replies, still flushed as he waves back. Shingo catches Shun giving him a nudge in the side before Shingo turns around, a lightness in his step.

“What did I tell you, Yuya?” he says, patting Yuya’s back and grinning ear-to-ear. “I think we picked ourselves up some men for a double date.”

()()()

Mrs. Flufferton’s III’s little nose twitches over and over as she sniffs Raptor. Ears perked, he gives her a lick.

Shingo giggles softly. “Aw, look. They get along.”

“Dogs tend to,” Shun says, but not unkindly. His breath fogs in the air. They’re all sitting in a tent attached to a restaurant, near a space heater. But not near enough, in Shingo’s opinion.

Yuto laughs a bit. He’s sitting next to Shun and Yuya’s sitting next to Shingo, which makes sense for a double first date. Still, Shingo can’t help but be jealous, since he’s _sure_ that Shun must be warm.

“Yeah, they do,” Yuto says.” He glances at Yuya. “Um, do you have any pets?”

“My mom adopts stray cats and dogs, but I don’t live with my parents anymore,” Yuya replies. “My apartment is too small for a dog, but a cat might do.”

Shingo can just _see_ Yuto melting at that, even though it’s nothing special. “I bet you’re good with animals, Yuya.”

_Jeez, just say you think he’d be a fantastic dad too,_ Shingo thinks, then looks back at Shun and—and catches him _looking_ at him.

Immediately, Shun’s cheeks turn pink and he turns his head down.

Shun’s heart flutters, and he gives Shun his best smile. “See something nice?”

Shun’s face turns even redder. Luckily, Raptor comes up, taking his immediate attention for some ear scratches. “I was just thinking that you picked a nice place for us to come to. Thanks, Shingo.”

Shun puffs out his chest. “This is Fluffykins’s favorite place. They cater well to her tastes.”

He doesn’t catch Yuya’s eyeroll, but Yuya does happily say, “I could probably make a meal out of only their breadsticks.”

Yuto laughs. “That’s fair, but you need to make sure you eat something healthy, too.”

Shingo rests his head on his hand, taking a breadstick. “You two sound married.”

As Yuya and Yuto sputter, Shingo takes a bite, then tears off a small piece to give to Mrs. Flufferton III. She wags her tail and noms on the bread.

Shun, also ignoring his floundering friend, smiles at Shingo. Or maybe at Mrs. F. Shingo can accept that. “You said that she’s been in your family or something?”

“Her grandmother was my mother’s dog.” Shun remembers that? Shingo brightens. “My mom liked to show dogs.”

“Oh?” Shun smiles. “I’m glad you get that kind of connection, actually.”

“Shun got Raptor at the shelter,” Yuto says, seeming to have gotten over his embarrassment—at least enough to latch onto another subject.

“The shelter?” Shingo’s eyes widen. “Why was he there? He’s such a good boy.” He leans over to feed a bit of bread to Raptor, who wags his tail and happily eats.

“Ah, well…” Shun reaches over to scratch behind Raptor’s ears. “Raptor and his littermates were thrown in the trash. He was the only one that made it.”

Shingo’s mouth falls open. “No… No, that’s awful…” Tearing up, he moves to wrap Raptor in a hug. “You poor boy…”

In response, Raptor gives his ear a lick.

Sniffling, Shingo scratches his pelt. “I’m going to donate to the shelter.”

“Don’t you and your dad already donate?” Yuya asks.

“I’m going to donate more!” Shingo says, hiccupping. He looks up at Shun. “I promise.”

Shun gives him a small smile.

()()()

Shingo’s phone buzzes, lighting up on his nightstand. He gives Mrs. Flufferton a final pat before grabbing it.

Instantly, he beams. The message is from Shun.

_I’ll be free next Saturday. Would you like to do something?_

He bounces in place, then decides to take a chance. _Is it a date?_

There’s a pause. Then, a few more seconds. And more.

Shingo’s heart hammers.

The phone buzzes, and Shun’s next message comes in. _Yes._

Shingo _jumps_ for joy, causing Mrs. Flufferton to get up from her bed and dance in place. He grins at her. “I’ve got a date, Fluffs!”

Quickly, he taps away at his phone again. _Yay! Do you want to come up with the details, or me?_

The response comes much more quickly. He wonders if Shun had just been shy before. The idea of that tall, stoic, _handsome_ as hell man being shy makes him swoon. _I will if you don’t mind. I’ll give you the details later. I’ll pick you up too._

Shingo smiles, hoping Shun can sense his happiness through the phone. Regardless, he sends a lot of happy emojis in his next text. _Then it’s a date_.

()()()

“This isn’t a date, is it?” Shingo asks as he puts on a ratty apron. “Why did I agree to this?”

Shun smiles at him as he puts on some work gloves. “Because I promised you dinner after, which is the _actual_ date part of the date?”

“I mean, but this part is… work, so,” Shingo says, but he’s known this for days now. And how could he have said no in the first place?

He follows Shun into the next room, white and tiled and sticking of bleach, fur, and slobber. He spots a dog in a cage, and his heart both melts and breaks at the same time. Shun sees where he’s looking, then pats his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll show you the ropes.” He hands Shingo a mop. “This way you won’t get your hands dirty.” He grabs a bucket to go fill with water and soap.

Shingo holds the mop awkwardly. “Um… so… how did you start coming here?”

“Well, this one is the only shelter even near Heartland that also takes in birds,” Shun explains as he leads the way to an empty pen.

“We’re halfway _to_ Heartland,” Shingo says, a little confused. The ride had been long, not that he minded it. Shun was attractive when his eyes focused on the road….

Shun chuckles. “Yeah, that’s true. But like I said, this is the closest place.” He puts the water bucket down and starts taking out the dog bed and toys from the pen. “Ah, don’t forget to sweep first. I’ll empty the other pens and then help with the sweeping.”

“Uh, okay,” Shingo says, finding a nearby broom to start sweeping. It’s not too hard, at least. God, he knows he’s in it real deep already if he’s not seriously whining about cleaning. Well, he _did_ have to volunteer for this… _And Sawataris don’t go back on their word!_

“…So…,” Shingo starts, peeking over the chest-high wall of the pen. “You like birds?”

“Honestly, even more than dogs,” Shun replies. The warmth in his voice and the softness in his expression—he’s not even looking at anything in particular—makes Shingo’s heartbeat skip. “I have one named Lanius. She and Raptor get along really well.”

“Yeah?” Hearing him talk like that makes it easier for Shingo to workout without thinking about how much he _dislikes_ work. “I actually don’t know that much about birds.”

“I’ll take you birdwatching sometime. Oh, uh, if you don’t… dump me after this date,” Shun adds, his cheeks going a bit pink.

Shingo laughs. “Well, let’s just say that I wouldn’t have come out here in the first place for just anyone.”

“Ah, well…” Shun goes even pinker. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Smiling, Shingo moves on to mopping the floor. “I have a way with words. Anyway, did you adopt your bird, too?”

“No. She was a gift from my sister, Ruri.” Shun comes to grab the broom, but stops for a moment to watch Shingo work. “You should go over those spots some more to really wash away that dirt.”

That makes Shingo pout a bit. “You want me to work _harder_?”

Shun just chuckles at that, smiling, and somehow it calms Shingo down. “I’m gonna go sweep the other pens.”

“Did you get Raptor here?” Shingo asks, scrubbing a stubborn spot and then smirking when it disappears from the floor. He for sure doesn’t _like_ manual work, but it’s not like he can’t take satisfaction from it.

“I did,” Shun says. “He was brought in by a concerned citizen on a day I was volunteering. He was so small and just…” He trails off. “He had to be fostered properly, but I put in extra hours just to help him. And as soon as he was old enough, I took him home.”

Shingo’s throat tightens. “That’s… That’s so sweet of you.”

“Well, I… just immediately knew I had to take care of him.”

Shingo takes the mop into the next pen, stopping in front of Shun and smiling at him sweetly. “I like that about you.”

Shun’s cheeks bypass pink and go straight to crimson. “Um, thanks.”

Shingo grins. “Let’s clean this place up and go get some dinner.”

()()()

Shun’s backseat smells faintly of dog and… maybe bird, but Shingo doesn’t really mind. Not when Shun’s on top of him, lips soft and warm against his. Each kiss feels electric, sending shivers across his skin. Shun tastes a bit like the pasta he ate at dinner, but God, Shingo doesn’t give a damn.

“Shun,” he murmurs between kisses, wanting to say that name forever.

After a moment, Shun pulls away, and Shingo pouts. “Stopping? Why?”

“I, um…” Shun reaches for his hand. “Can I talk to you about something for a minute?”

“Ah, of course.” Shingo smiles sweetly up at him. As much as he _really_ wants to continue making out, he knows how important communication is. “What’s on your mind? Me?”

Shun fidgets a little. “Well… Shingo, I don’t want this to be a fling.”

Shingo giggles, winking. “Well, neither do I.”

Despite the dim light, he can tell Shun’s blushing. _God_ , is he cute. “Well, um, the thing is… I’m… not going to be in Maiami much longer. I’m only on assignment temporarily before I have to go back to Heartland.”

Shingo’s heart drops. “You… can’t stay?”

“No… Not now at least.” He bites his lip. “Heartland is almost two hours away, so I’d only be able to see you on weekends, and even then, maybe not every weekend… If you can’t handle that, I understand—”

“I’ll come visit you whenever!” Shingo blurts. “Me and Fluffykins. Whenever you want. During the week, even, if you’re not tired. And—and we can volunteer at the shelter together. That’s halfway, right?”

Shun stares at him, mouth agape. “You… would do that for me? You don’t mind?”

“I mean, I _do_ mind, but—” Shingo hopes he doesn’t seem desperate, but he can’t help himself. “I really like you, Shun…. Maybe we won’t be able to see each other all the time, but I… want to try…”

And then, Shun kisses him. “Thank you. I want to try, too.”

Shingo melts into the kiss, cupping Shun’s cheeks to pull him back before he can get away from him again. So long as he can help it, he’s not going to let go.


End file.
